July 27th, 2026
“Be grateful to everyone.”
When I first heard this lojong slogan from Buddhist master Atisha, I thought: duh. It’s obviously good to be grateful; I have learned how to be grateful. In fact, finding and keeping gratitude saved my life.
But I was performing half the equation of gratitude. I was only grateful for the good things, the good times, the good people.
The line says: “Be grateful to everyone.”
That’s where the growth is.
When I encounter someone or something that frustrates me, that annoys me, that makes me angry or sad or drives me crazy, I’ve been trying to remind myself to be grateful for it all. This mindset is a game-changer, especially in the field of service.
This (totally annoying) person or event could teach (or reteach) me, an old dog, something important. To be more patient or open-minded or compassionate or all of the above and more.
I fail at it. I can name times I failed at it today, this week, this summer, this year and all the years before it. But I know the more I practice it, the more it becomes routine, a reflex, and the default way I deal with what I would have considered only problems and maybe not potential.
I know that boundaries exist for a reason, too. If we’re treated poorly, we shouldn’t ignore the behavior and solely search for the lessons; we don’t owe ourselves to anyone but we do owe ourselves the best.
When it comes to everything else: I’m trying to be grateful. To annoyance, to irritation, to heartbreak, to nonsense. Instead of avoiding them, I seek those cracks in the sidewalk in which to grow.
The Den 